Photographer's Note

WS - Miracle with the bomb. You find the story in the note.
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The town of Mosta (pop. 8,500), northeast of Mdina, is worth seeing for the sake of its Neo-Classical Cathedral (by Grognet, 1833-63), with a dome which is one of the largest in the world.

Parish Church of St Mary

St Mary's was begun in 1833, long before immigration had enriched its then tiny population. The church took 27 years to build and the entire dome was constructed without the use of scaffolding, based on a design by architect George Grognet de Vasse.

40 metres are the diameters of the inner space.
53 metres are the diameters of the cupola.
66 metres are the altitudes of the cupola.
12000 people may gather in the church.

Under the towering simple dome and its 16 windows spiraling up to the lantern are six side chapels. The floor is an intricate geometry of two different marble inlays that weave and interplay of patters with the ceiling. The murals were painted by Guiseppe Cali early in this century.

Miracle with the bomb

In 1942 during World War II, the church took a direct hit from a German bomb while more than 300 people were congregated inside for Mass. The bomb pierced the dome and fell to the ground with a bounce, but failed to explode. The army took the bomb outside and diffused it, and no one was hurt. The event has become legendary, with many regarding it as a miracle.

Mosta

The town of Mosta is situated in the centre part of Malta. It is surrounded by fertile agricultural land. Neighboring villages and towns include Lija, Burmarrad, Rabat and Naxxar. Mosta is found on the main route from Valletta to Cirkewwa and experiences daily heavy traffic flows from north to south and vice versa. Mosta is 9 km away from the capital city of Malta, Valletta. Mosta is in continuous development, new buildings are erected every day and the business community is quite active and flourishing.
The population at about 18,000 inhabitants is one of the highest in the Maltese islands and has been given a boost in the last decades of the twentieth century by the establishment of a number of new housing estates.
(Source: holiday on malta & planetware/malta)
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!! From the patches....I took this photo before a big storm, there was much sand in the wind... preserving the objectives purely was very heavy because of this. I would like to show you this huge building very much (this is the Europe's fourth largest dome!). I looked it up because of this little patchy picture...

Very eye-catching monument. The vibrant colours of the building are great balanced with the dark, stormy sky. I can see that the time is really difrent and depend on the side of measure - did You see these two watches? :)

Hello George!
A very well taken frontal architecture picture! The building really looks amazinly beautiful and truly big (people in front of it gives us better this idea!). Sharpness is excellent allowing me to see all the details of that construction! Exposure is correct with the best balance of light! Colors are natural and beautiful too! I really like it! TFS - Congratulations!
Warmest regards,
Neyvan

Hi dear George,
My "almost" neighbour today !
We are learning Malta with your great captures.
Very good pov and perfect compo.
Nice brillint colors and very good usefull notes.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Hello George,
A splendid capture of this most impressive building. Beautifully rendered tones and detailing in the architecture. The people milling about on the steps contribute to the atmosphere and provide a sense of scale. Very comprehensive and interesting accompanying note.

Hallo George!
A most beautiful and interesting contribution! This really is an impressive building and your point of view emphasizes this impression skillfully. These people are a good scale for its dimensions. A wonderful sight!
Greetings from cold but sunny Germany!
Frank

Hello George,
The image gives a good description of architecture and dimensions of this remarkable dome. Excel ws about this “miracle”. The very beautiful one and interesting work.
Have a nice day and weekend
Cordially
Joël

hi George,
good frontal POV of the big church : we are outdid by the building here.
i also appreciate the warm shades of colours giving an orange look to the stone, contrasting with the grey sky.
Yannis